Herbert l



Patented Mar. 7, I899.

H. L. BAILEY.

BACK PEDALING BRAKE.

(Application filed Mar. 23, 1896.)

(No Model.)

THE NORRIS Pains ca. Pworou'rmz. WASHINGTON. o. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT L. BAILEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BAILEY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BACK-PEDALING BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 620,631, dated March 7, 1899.

Application filed March 23,1396. Serial No. 584,424. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT L. BAILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Vehicle-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the ac companying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention has been patented to me in Great Britain by Letters Patent No. 27,698, bearing date December 4, 1896.

My present invention has relation toim provements in automatic vehicle-brakes, and more particularly to that class which is exemplified in Letters Patent No. 517,996, dated April 10, 1894:, and No. 555,720, dated March 3, 1896, which were issued to the Bailey Hanufacturing Company. In brakes of this character it is desirable, in order to secure a nicety of action, that the brake-spoon should occupy a certain relation to the periphery of the wheel and that the antifriction-roller or similar device should occupyacertain relation to the driving-chain, or, in other words, the brake-spoon should be hung so that only a slight movement is necessary to bring it into contact with the wheel and so that when in contact with the wheel the greatest area possible of the brake-spoon should engage the periphery of the wheel, and the contact should be even and yielding. In the later patent above referred to means are claimed for securing such adjustment; and the primary object of the present invention is to improve these means of adjustment and adapt the device, when sold as a separate article of manufacture, to machines whose frames differ materially in construction and also to those frames of the same general character whose proportions and relative locations of parts differ as well from design as from imperfections or other contingencies in connec tion with their construction.

An object of the present invention is to provide independent adjustments for the brakespoon and for the parts supporting the brakespoon and also an independent adjustment for that part which communicates to the brake-spoon the movement imparted thereto by the driving-chain.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for maintaining the brake-spoon in its proper relative position to the periph cry of the wheel when the brake is set in ac tion; and a further object is to provide yielding connections, so that the brake-spoon may adjust itself evenly and accurately to the surface of the periphery of the wheel at all times and under all conditions which may occur.

With these and other ends in view the invention consists of the peculiar construction tional view on the line 4 i of Fig. 3, and Fig.

5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings like letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in all of the figures, and, referring thereto in detail, A designates the driving carrying-Wheel of a bicycle or tricycle; but it will be understood that my invention is not in any way limited or restricted to thisparticular application, a bicycle driving-wheel and the necessary parts of its frame being shown in the drawings as one application of the invention. A sprocketchain F is trained over the driven sprocketwheel B and the driving or pedal sprocketwheel C, the latter wheel being keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the pedal-shaft D, journaled in hearings on the frame G of the machine and carrying on its ends the crankpedals E.

The frame of the machine is usually provided with a rear fork or bifurcated portion H, which is shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. The arms I are adjustably secured to this rear fork, and they may extend rearwardly and slightly downward, as illustrated in the drawings, or they may be otherwise arranged for the purpose of supporting in the best possible manner the brake-spoon.

The brake device comprises a bar I, which is rigidly secured in suitable clamps J in the ends of the arms P, one end of said bar being extended more or less beyond its clamp and bent at an angle to the bar proper to form an arm K, which carries on its free end an antifriction-roller L, adapted and arranged to come in contact with the normally slack under side of the sprocket-chain 11 when the latter is actuated vertically by back-pedaling in the manner Well known in the art and hereinafter described. The ends of the arms P are provided with clamps J to receive the bar I, and adj Listing-screws j are arranged in the projecting lugs j on said clamps for the purpose of tightening the clamps on the bar and securing the bar rigidly in place.

The brake spoon N is hung between the arms P, and it is constructed in a well-known and approved form, being provided with an eye M on its rear side to receive the bar I, said eye being located on the bar between the clamps J. The brake-spoon is, therefore, to all intents and purposes, loosely hung upon the bar, and for the purpose of maintaining it yieldinglyin its proper relative position to the periphery of the wheel I provide a split spring-ring Q, which embraces the eye M and whose free ends are extend ed laterally to constitute elongated engaging edges R R to engage the stationary pins r, rigidly secured to the clamps J. The parts are so adjusted and .arranged that the spring Q will normally hold the brake-spoon in a substantially upright position; but when the brake device is set in action, so that the brake-spoon is thrown into contact with the periphery of the wheel, the spring yields accordingly to the resistance offered by the wheel upon the brake-spoon and enables the latter to adjust itself in its proper position. brake-spoon is within certain obvious limits, and it is never of sufficient latitude as to cause the spring-ring Q to become disengaged from its position on the device. When the clamps are close to the eye, the ring may overlap the adjacent ends thereof; but this, of

. course, is not essential, it being only necessary that the elongated engaging edges of the ends of said ring should properly engage the pins 1'; but for the purpose of maintaining the ring in its proper position at all times, and particularly when the brake-spoon is in action, recesses 4" may be provided in the engaging edges of the spring-ring to receive that portion of the eye M where it is joined to the back of the brake -spoon. By this yielding adjustment of the brake-spoon it will automatically arrange itself in position in or out of contact with the periphery of the wheel and according to the Various conditions of the wheel which may occur at different times, the limits of adjustment of the device being at all times suflicient to enable the brake-spoon to make proper contact with the periphery of the wheel under any and all ordinary conditions.

This adjustment of the i 'manner contemplated in the patents herein The arms P are secured to the fork or bifu rcated portion H of the frame of the vehicle by means of clips S, which embrace the fork and are provided with downwardly-extending ends 8. An adjusting screw or bolt T is arranged to pass through the ends 8 of each clip to secure the same rigidly upon the fork, and bearing-plates t, having inwardlyextending hubs t, are provided adjacent to these downwardly-extending ends to receive said adjusting-screw, one of said hubs being tapped to receive the threaded end of the screw. It is desirable that this connection between the fork of the frame and the device should also be yielding, and for this purpose I provide a split spring-ring U for each clip, which embraces the end of the arm, one end it of said spring-ring having a bearing against the under side of the arm and the other end of said ring being provided with laterally-extending lugs it, which fit in recesses it", provided for them in the clip. By this yielding connection between the fork and the arms the whole device is capable of being automatically adjusted in accordance with varying conditions, and the springs within the clips at all times maintain the device, when the brake is not set, in its proper position and will readily yield when the sprocket chain operates upon the antifriclion-roller to set the brake.

The particular construction of my improved brake device as herein described and shown is adapted especially for use in connection with bicycles of the ordinary construction;

but it will be understood that the same device can be applied to other constructions of bicycles and to other vehicles with only such modifications and changes as will occur to a skilled mechanic.

The device operates substantially in the referred to, and the brake isset by the movement of the sprocket-chain when the rider or operator back pedals, this being a method of retarding the speed of a bicycle very common with many riders.

It will be observed from the description and illustration of my improved device that the arms P may be adjusted forwardly on the fork or laterally to compensate for any imperfections in the fork itself or to adapt the device for different positions on the fork or to properly hang the device from forks of different characters, and also the bar I, which supports the antifrictionroller, has an adj ustment in the clamps on the arms P which is entirely independent of the adjustment of those arms, and, moreover, one or both of said arms may be adjusted on thebar, if desired, in order that the brake-spoon may be at all times in its proper position with relation to the periphery of the wheel. The yielding connections of the parts are important in that they provide for automatically adjusting the diiferent parts of the device in their proper position as occasion may arise,

IlO

and when the brake is not set they maintain the device in such a position that the brakespoon does not interfere with the operation of the wheel.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and in the details of construction and arrangement maybe made without departing from the spirit and without sacrificing the advantages of the invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In abrake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a bar, of a brake-spoon mounted on said bar, and substantially horizontal arms pivotally connected at their rear ends to the frame of the vehicle and adjustably secured at their forward ends on the said bar, substantially as described.

2. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a bar, of arms pivotallyattached to the frame of the vehicle and rigidly and adjustably secured on said bar, a brakespoon supported on the bar, and a split springring arranged on the bar and normally maintaining the brake-spoon in its proper position, substantially as described.

3. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a bar, of arms adjustably secured on the frame of the vehicle, and havin g clamps to receive the bar, a brake-spoon, an eye on the back of said spoon adapted to be arranged on the bar between the clamps on the arms, the pins projecting out from said clamps, and a split spring-ring arranged over the said eye and the adjacent ends of the clamps and provided with elongated edges adapted to engage said pins, and recesses to receive that portion of the eye where it is joined to the brake-spoon, substantially as described.

4. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a bar, of a brake-spoon mounted on the bar, the arms adjustably secured on said bar, and clips adjustably secured on the frame of the vehicle, and provided with yielding connections with the ends of said arms, substantially as described.

5. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a bar, of a brake-spoon yieldingly and adj ustably secured 011 saidbar, the arms adj ustably secured on said bar, the clips adapted to be adjusted on the frame of the vehicle, and yielding connections between the ends of said arms and the clips, substantially as described.

with an arm, of a clip adapted to secure said arm adj ustably upon the frame of the vehicle, and having the depending ends,the bearingplates provided with hubs arranged adjacent to said ends, a set-screw passing through said ends and securing the clip upon the end of said arm, and a split spring-ring arranged around the said arm, one end of said spring having a bearing against the under side of said arm and the other end of said spring being provided with laterally-extending lugs to engage recesses in the clip, substantially as described.

8. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with arms pivotally secured to the frame of the vehicle at their rear ends and extending forwardly, of a bar supported by said arms and adjustable laterally therein independent of the arms, means adapted to be operated by the chain of the vehicle to actuate said arms, and a brake-spoon loosely connected at or about its middle with the bar and yieldingly maintained in its proper position, substantially as described.

9. In a brake for chain-driven vehicles, the combination with a transverse horizontal bar, of arms pivotally secured at one end to the frame of the vehicle and supporting said bar at their free ends, a brake-spoon yieldingly connected with said bar and means adapted to be operated by the chain of the vehicle to actuate said arms, substantially as described.

10. A brake for chain-driven vehicles comprising a rocking frame, said frame consisting of a horizontal bar and arms supporting said bar at their free ends, adjustable clips pivotally securing the rear ends of said arms to the frame of the vehicle, a brake-spoon carried by the bar, a spring device operating on said brake-spoon, spring devices adapted to hold the brake-spoon normally out of engagement with the wheel of the vehicle and means adapted to be operated by the chain of the vehicle to actuate said arms, substantially as described.

HERBERT L. BAILEY.

Witnesses:

M. E. SHIELDS, WM. 0. BELT. 

